Hanged
by 9548
Summary: Another day, another murder. #bringbacklife


**Hanged**

**Exterior: Dark, empty street. Large, faceless buildings on either side. **

Sound of feet running. Afraid, desperate, unused to the feel of hard, unyielding concrete as opposed to the soft, rubbery turns of a treadmill. The man who owns the feet stops and turns. Hope flares for brief second, only to be chased away by the searching glare of a torchlight rounding the corner. A gasp escapes him as he realizes there is nowhere else to run. A beam of light finds him.

**Fade to: inside of a dark room.**

**Close to: a face; eyes snap open.**

Heart pounding, she searches the room with her eyes, somehow without moving an inch. She listens, waiting for the unexpected to happen. A frown;

Reese: It's not exactly unexpected if I'm waiting for it, is it?

Tidwell: (muffled) What?

Reese: Nothing. Go back to sleep.

She gets up and pulls her hair up in a loose tail. She stands in front of the bathroom mirror. Catches herself staring and frowns. She leans forward to inspect a healing cut lip, and the fading bruise on her left cheek. She's had worse injuries. One last furtive look at her own eyes, then she turns away.

**Life.**

**Exterior: Sunlight - streaming down hard and insistent despite the early hour, eager to seek out the shadows and reveal all that is hidden. Reese steps out of their unmarked car, appreciating three full seconds of silence as her partner tries unsuccessfully to unbuckle his seatbelt.**

Crews: Reese? Reese, help. I'm stuck.

Reese: (leans through her side's open window) Maybe Seever can have you back.

Crews: Oh c'mon, Reese. You don't mean that. Reese?

Uniforms are crawling around the crime scene, taking pictures, dusting appropriate surfaces for prints, sorting out who's taking statements from whom. She stands in front of the victim, walking the grid immediately around him with her eyes.

Stark walks up with her partner. Crews beams at her, perhaps waiting for her to congratulate him on finally getting out of the car.

Stark: (gesturing with a clipboard at the body) Man, early to mid sixties, janitor who found him ID'd him as Leroy Herman, some kinda executive. Usually works late. Car is still at his designated spot. He has a wife & two kids.

Crews eyes the thin gravel path that runs along the wall.

None of the stones had been disturbed. Everything was in place. The victim may have been dead for five hours. His right hand was up by his throat, as though he'd died still trying to ease the pressure of the rope that was cutting off his circulation and strangling him to death. The rope itself went over the wall and was tied to the post of a broken street light. It would have been dark here. He would've died in the dark. There were scuff marks higher up on the wall, almost by the victim's head, as though he had tried to climb over, only to be pulled back down.

Reese: (reading his thoughts) Maybe it was the perp that climbed up there. If he had to go back out the long way, to tie the rope, it would've taken a long time.

Crews: (looking sad) He was hanged, Reese, while still alive. He wouldn't have died slow, but not fast either.

Reese: (shakes her head) Why?

Crews: And who. Reese, who would want to kill a network executive?

**Ad break**

**Interior: LAPD office; busy. Light shines through windows.**

Crews and Reese walk into one of the briefing rooms. The Captain is sitting at the edge of the table, waiting for them.

Tidwell: (looking Reese over with concern, earning a frown in return) Tell me it's a normal death.

Crews: All deaths are normal, we are all… (catching an irritated frown from Reese, he finishes with a shrug) I suppose some deaths are more normal than others.

Shaking her head, Reese pins a picture of the late Leroy Herman on their discussion wall.

Reese: Leroy Herman. Sixty-four years old, husband, father of two. Has worked for NBC for the better part of twenty-five years. A quiet man, nobody hates him-

Crews: Nobody hates him, but nobody remembers much about him either. You'd think after twenty-five years people would have more stories to tell other than just "he was a quiet man" or "he worked hard".

Tidwell: Ok. In my experience, nobody is ever that quiet. In fact, it's usually the quiet ones who have somethin' to hide. Did anyone check for a woman on the side?

Reese: Is that always your answer to everything?

Tidwell: Well, honey, I've been proven right more than I can count.

Reese: Did you just call me honey?

Crews: So! (gives Tidwell and Reese a wide smile) I'm gonna go ahead and find some fruit. Either of you want some?

**Interior: Car. Reese driving, Crews fidgeting with his seatbelt.**

Crews: Maybe he was a spy. Wait. No. Maybe an assassin. They're always the quiet ones. Keep to themselves. Or maybe he was both. In stories, usually spies end up being assassins. Reese? Do you think he was a spy?

Reese: No.

Crews: Both?

Reese: Nope.

Crews: Do you think Tidwell-

Reese: No!

Crews: Is everything ok with you and the Cap- (Reese glares at him) Right. We don't have to talk about it.

**Exterior: Outside the Herman house; quiet suburban street.**

They park in front of a modest-sized house in fairly good repair. The garden at the front is very well kept. Flowers are blooming, the grass is newly cut.

Reese walks straight to the door and knocks. Crews, following at a slower pace, looks around, smiling, appreciating the abundance of life all around.

Crews: Reese. Can you smell that?

Reese: What?

Crews: Life!

The door opens. A woman, well dressed, well kept (like the garden) - except for a strand of fading red hair that had slipped through a dark hair-clip, and red-rimmed eyes, offered Reese a distracted and tremulous smile.

Reese: (voice quiet, sympathetic) Mrs Herman? I'm Detective Reese, this is my partner Detective Crews. Would we be able to ask you a few questions?

Mrs Herman: There were officers who came by earlier.

Crews: Routine, ma'am. We're hoping to find out a little more about your husband.

Mrs Herman: Of course. Come in.

Interior: Herman House.

Mrs Herman: Can I offer you tea? Coffee?

At the same time-

Crews: Tea would be nice.

Reese: Coffee please.

Mrs Herman gives them a curious look. Reese rolls her eyes at Crews as soon as the woman turns her head, Crews grins widely at her. Inappropriate, but what else is new.

She leads them through the house, past the living room, the stairway leading to the bedrooms above, a small office with the door slightly ajar, and into the kitchen where she waved them to a dining table set in front of open sliding doors that led to the backyard, where more flowers grew in arresting splashes of color.

Crews: Mrs Herman, you must like gardening.

Mrs Herman: Yes. It's what I do. Leroy worked, I stayed at home with the kids. I looked after the house, and the garden.

Reese: You didn't mind not working?

Mrs Herman: To be honest, Detective Reese, looking after a husband, two kids and keeping a home for them has kept me busy enough to be mindful of such things.

Crews: Where are the kids?

Mrs Herman: School. Maddie is sixteen, Paul is twelve. (fighting back tears) They left before… They don't know their father... Should I call them home? No. I don't suppose it changes anything. A few more hours of not knowing might be best for them.

Crews looks intently at Mrs Herman. Reese tries not to frown and looks outside instead.

Crews: Is there anything at all you can tell us about your husband, his behavior, anything that was different, in the last few weeks?

Mrs Herman: I can't think of- He was busy at work, programs ending, new shows starting, advertising to sort out. He doesn't… didn't really talk about his work, but I could tell he was under pressure. It happens every year, especially at this time, but more so this year. (she shakes her head) He was talking more and more about retiring. He had plans.

Reese: Anybody who might have wanted to harm him?

Mrs Herman: No. No, he was a quiet man.

**Exterior: Side of the road, panoramic view of the city.**

Reese sips her coffee, consciously breathing in and out. It takes her a few seconds to realize her partner is not only quiet, but staring at her with amusement. Any sort of calm the view, the breaths, or the coffee might have given dissipated in an instant.

Reese: (without turning) What, Crews?

Crews: (waves a toothpick at her before stabbing another melon cube) Were you just meditating?

Reese: No. No I was not.

Crews: You know it's good for you, right? To still your mind and attain absolute emptiness?

Reese: (frowns) Why would it be good to be empty?

Crews: Well, the Buddha said "the Wisdom that realizes the emptiness of the inherently existent self is the mother of both those who reach beyond the suffering of cyclic existence for their own peace and those who attain enlightenment for the sake of all beings".

Reese: (confused, frustrated) What?

Crews: (beaming) He also said "the no-mind not-thinks no-thoughts about no-things".

Reese: Did the Buddha seriously understand himself?

Crews: Of course! He was the most enlightened of all the enlightened.

Reese gets off the hood of the car, intending to get back in and drive away. Whether Crews was still sitting on the car or not. Crews reaches over, holds her arm for a moment.

Crews: Wait. Don't go yet. Let's stay here a little longer.

She scowls at him, pointedly looking at his hand on her arm. He cocks his head to the side, as though listening to what she was thinking.

Reese: Fine. Another minute, then we better go and find out who doesn't think Leroy is a very quiet man.

Crews gestures her back beside him. Once she's settled, he offers her fruit. Of course she refuses. And of course he just smiles, patient, with her, as always.

**Ad break**

**Interior: Outside Leroy Herman's office; Inside people are going over his files.**

His assistant seem to look truly sad at his boss' passing, but there were flashes of excitement too. Especially when he looked at Reese. Crews isn't sure whether to be amused. Reese certainly isn't.

Gavin: This is strange. It's like, being on a tv show.

Reese: Uh huh. You ever been on television?

Gavin: Oh no. I'm just an assistant. (he gives a nervous smile) To Mr Herman. Used to be anyway. Um. I'm not a suspect, am I?

Crews: You tell me. Should you be a suspect?

Gavin: No! W-why would I want to kill Mr Herman? He wasn't a bad boss.

Crews: So if he was a bad boss, it'd be ok to kill him?

Gavin: Uh, no! I mean-

Reese: Where were you last night?

Gavin: With my girlfriend, it was our three month anniversary.

Crews: All night?

Gavin: Yeah?

Reese: You don't sound so sure.

Gavin: I am! I was with her all night!

Crews: (looks around with a reassuring smile at the people who turned towards them, before leaning closer to Gavin) Okay, calm down. We know Leroy Herman was a quiet man, but can you think of anyone at all, anyone who might want him dead?

Gavin: (still looking slightly panicked) No? Wait. Ah. He's been getting a lot of letters lately.

Reese: Fan mail?

Gavin: Not exactly. A show was cancelled recently, and fans have since started a letter-writing campaign - email, post, text. They have petitions going. Someone even tied a banner near the gates with a witty line from the show. It's crazy.

Crews looks hopefully at Reese. Maybe they're finally catching a break.

Gavin: Mr Herman wasn't the only one getting them, of course, but… (he trails off, looking at Crews first, then Reese, equally hopeful, but for a different reason) Would you like to see them?

Crews: (trying not to be disappointed) Yeah.

**Interior: LAPD office; briefing room.**

Crews: They really wanted this show back on air. I'm impressed.

Reese: Seems obsessive to me.

Tidwell: (appearing at the doorway) Could one of them have killed him?

Reese: Possible. Many gave names, addresses even. But if one of them intended to kill him-

Crews: He wouldn't have given a name. He would've pretended to be someone else.

Tidwell: He?

Crews shrugs, adding another apple core to the two already in front of him.

Reese: Would have to be a very strong woman to pull Leroy up one side of a wall from the other side.

Crews: Would have to be tall to scale that wall easily too. Reese, do you think Leroy got letters at home too?

Reese: I'll give Mrs Herman a call.

Crews: She said he wanted to retire. I'll call our friend Gavin and find out if there were any in-house issues about Leroy retiring. And maybe Ted can do a little digging also.

Tidwell: Do what you have to do. I'm gettin' pressure from the brass to shut this case before the media turns it into a circus with flame-breathin' monkeys and all.

Crews: (thinks back with a sad smile) It's been a while since I've been to the circus. (looks up with sparkling eyes) Reese-

Reese: (gets up) No. (walks out)

Crews: (looking innocent, turns to Tidwell who looks back at him suspiciously) What?

**Interior: LAX; people everywhere. Noontime sunlight streams in through the floor-to-ceiling windows.**

His eyes behind dark glasses the only part of him that is moving, Crews follows the numerous paths of planes as they take off or land. Vacillating between wanting to be in one of the departing planes - to be flying, heading off to newer, more exotic locations, places to which he'd planned on going with Jen, before… Before; - and being repelled by the idea of staying still in a giant flying can for hours and hours. Maybe not.

He turns around, smiling.

Crews: Rachel.

Rachel glares at him for a moment. Still angry at being sent away. Then she drops her bags and quickly walks toward him. The hug was short, but it was a step in the right direction. It makes him smile

Rachel: Did you kill him?

Crews: Who?

Rachel: Whoever it was you thought would hurt me.

Crews: Yes. It was the best choice at the time.

Rachel: Good. Then it's over?

Sometimes, she reminded Crews of Reese. So angry, so scared, but never would either admit it. Not to him, most likely not even to themselves.

Crews: I'm glad you're back, Rachel. I'll take you home now.

Rachel: How's Ted?

Crews: Ted's a little depressed. (at her questioning look) He wanted to go to Spain, was probably right here with a ticket and a toothbrush, to look for Olivia, but he couldn't leave. He would've violated his parole and be thrown back in jail. Again.

Rachel: Olivia? Your dad's wife?

Crews gives her a boy(or girl in this case)-have-you-missed-a-lot smile.

Crews: Ted can tell you all about it.

**Ad break**

**Interior: Car, outside the Herman's house.**

Reese sitting behind the wheel, reading through more letters, just in case it is a disgruntled fan after all. She frowns at the music playing on the radio, reaches over to change the station, but stops and turns the ignition off instead. She gets out of the car just as Crews, out of nowhere, swerves his in front of hers, barely avoiding hitting her.

Reese, hands on her hips, glares at the car, then the man that jauntily hops out of it.

Crews: (putting his suit jacket back on & adjusting his tie) Reese, you're here.

Reese: I've been here for twenty minutes. You said _you'd_ be here twenty minutes ago.

Crews: Were you worried? Did you miss me?

The questions obviously does not merit a response. She crosses the road.

Crews: Hey Reese, why did the chicken cross the road?

Reese: I have a gun. If you don't stop, I will use it.

**Exterior: Doorway to Herman's House.**

Mrs Herman opens the door after Reese's impatient third knock.

Mrs Herman: I'm sorry, I was out in the backyard. Please, come in.

Reese: This shouldn't take too long, Mrs Herman.

Crews: (quietly, gently even) Mrs Herman, why didn't you tell us about the letters before?

Mrs Herman: I forgot about them. Too much is happening all at once, it's hard to think.

Reese: (nods in understanding) Of course.

Mrs Herman: (picks up a large envelop from a coffee table with smaller ones inside, her hands were shaking as she hands them to Reese) I have them here.

Reese: (pulling on a pair of gloves) May I?

At the older woman's wide-eyed nod, Reese pulls an envelope out. The letter inside is short, like all the others. She looks up to find Crews, standing just inside the hallway that led to the kitchen, staring with cold interest at something.

Crews: Who is that?

Or someone. Reese moves to one side of her partner, so she could see.

Mrs Herman: Who? Oh. That, that's Billy, he's a landscaper. We hired him to help with the garden at the beginning of this year.

Reese walks forward, waving at the man to come inside.

Crews: (turning to Mrs Herman, eyes meeting hers with chilling intensity) I thought you did all the gardening Mrs Herman.

Whatever her reply to that was drowned out by Reese yelling his name. He turns just in time to see a flash of white, and Reese drawing her gun out with one gloved hand while still clutching the envelope of letters. He drew his gun just as quick.

Crews: Stay here.

**Exterior: Outside the Herman's house.**

Crews runs out the front door, but not quite soon enough to intercept the fleeing man who had Reese hot on his heels, furiously yelling invectives that'd make Crews blush, if he wasn't already sort of flushed from the day's heat and the running. She really is faster than she looks. He rolls his eyes. She has always been 'more' than the more that he already knows she is.

He turns down a small alley in between houses and hopes with all his might that he'd chosen the right path. Crews clears the alley just as the man runs by. Without thinking he tackles him down.

Reese, more in tune with her partner's mind than she would ever admit under threat of pain - well maybe that's debateable - also tackles the man. And somehow ends up underneath both men. Again.

Reese: Dammit, Crews get yourself and him off me!

Crews: (heaving the man off his partner) Reese! Are you ok?

She rolls to a sitting position, checking if anything is broken. Then looks for the letters she dropped on impact. She picks it up and jumps back to her feet in one move.

Which is just as well, as the man seems to rally. He elbows Crews right on the face.

Reese: (points her gun) Freeze! Move another inch and I'll put a bullet through your head.

Both men at her feet stop moving. Crews had a slightly dazed expression as he stared up at her.

Reese: Crews, you can move. Cuff him.

Crews: Oh. Oh yeah. (he frowns) Ow.

They walk back to the car. Reese calls for back up. When they reach the house, the front door is open, and the house is empty.

**Ad break**

**Interior: LAPD office; outside the interrogation room.**

Billy is chained up. His head is resting on both hands that were, in turn, resting on the table. Tidwell, Crews and Reese stares at him via the monitor.

Crews: (rubs an ice-cold can of lemonade against his jaw) Why'd he run. We just wanted to talk. He didn't have to run.

Tidwell: And the wife.

Reese: Still looking.

Tidwell: Anything with the network? His financials?

Crews: No. Leroy was a good man. He worked hard, he lived simply, he paid his dues. (shrugs) I guess whoever it was that wanted to kill our network executive - it wasn't because of a television show.

Tidwell: Then you might as well get in there and find out what _he's_ hiding.

**Interior: LAPD office; interrogation room.**

It is either really cold in there, or really hot. Crews preferred cold. Either way it made most detainees uncomfortable enough to cooperate. Reese didn't seem to notice. Crews leaves behind the can of lemonade before entering. Reese walks in with the large yellow envelope. Crews follows with the box they got from Gavin.

Billy: You can't hold me here. I want to talk to my lawyer.

Reese: William Roberts, we _can_ hold you here. You ran away when we just wanted to talk to you.

Crews: Unfortunately, by running away you prevented us from doing our job, which is, of course, to find Leroy Herman's killer. And the law has something to say about that. (smiles cheerfully) Your lawyer will tell you.

Reese: And then you assaulted my partner.

Crews: Leroy Herman was your employer, was he not? (Billy curls his hands into a fist, but otherwise doesn't answer) Everyone else we've talked to seemed to think he was a good man. Maybe a tad boring (Reese frowns at him, so he trails off)… But they were all quite eager to help catch his killer. Except you. Why did you run?

Billy remains quiet.

Crews reaches for a handful of letters from the box. He lays out three in front of Billy. Reese takes three letters from the envelope and puts them above the three that Crews laid out.

Crews: These letters were from the network. They had been sent by fans protesting the cancellation of a show. These letters that Mrs Herman gave us- Well you tell us the difference.

After glancing at the first set of letters, Billy looks away, his jaw tightening.

Reese: Okay, fine. I'll tell you the difference. These letters are from a woman. Love letters. Obsessive love letters. Do you know who this woman is, Billy?

Billy: No! And I want my lawyer.

Crews: Oh, your lawyer will be here soon enough. But are you sure you don't know who the woman is? Are you sure you didn't help make her up? So we'd look elsewhere for the murderer?

Reese: We might not find your prints on these letters, but will we find it on a pen, a stick of glue, or even the desk at Leroy Herman's house?

He was terrified. Crews could smell it, practically taste it. Billy tried to stay still, to appear calm, but his eyes couldn't lie. They roamed around the room, looking for escape, for another chance at flight, however small.

Crews: (soft, persuasive voice) Billy, your lawyer will be here soon. Tell us what really happened, help us, and maybe a deal can be made.

A short rap at the door, right before it opens.

Tidwell: They found her. At the school. They're bringing her in now.

Crews and Reese turn to Billy.

Reese: (one eyebrow rises up, smiles gently even, coaxing him to talk) Billy, tell us. Let the truth out. Let it out so you can be empty, of guilt, of worry. It'll make you feel better. Help us.

After a short pause, Billy takes a deep breath, then shakes his head - defeated. There is no way out. No escape. Especially now that she had also been caught. Nowhere else to run. They might as well have thrown the noose around his neck, and pulled. Emptiness - how's that supposed to help, he wonders briefly. He shakes his head again. There is no other choice now, they have her, and they have him, so he closes his eyes and confesses.

Crews turns to his partner, wanting to smile at her, more than any other time this day, but not daring to. She ignores him.

**Blank screen. Credits. **


End file.
